With the resource allocation complete, Zhao Gongzheng and Wu Shan strolled away. The students from Field 8 also headed home, chattering noisily along the way.

Liu Zili was still walking with Jiang Qiu, treading on the long shadows cast by the old streetlights in the sunset as they made their way through the alleyways of the Shantytown.

"Jiang Qiu, thank you," Liu Zili said, clutching two glowing blue vials that had grown warm in her palm. The corners of her lips turned up, revealing teeth as white as snow. "Thank you for being willing to train with me and help me get a feel for your Spear Sense."

"The fact that you learned anything is a credit to your own Talent. I can’t help much in just a few days."

Jiang Qiu shoved his hands deep into his pockets. His pace was slow, his swaying sleeves clinging to his powerful arms.

"Mhm..." Liu Zili’s short, inwardly-curled hair swayed into her line of sight. Her eyes curved into crescents, and her voice was soft. "You’re going for the Military Department test in a few days, right? I hope you pass and get into the Prodigy Project..."

"I will."

His light, airy voice was like a banner planted in her heart. She tilted her head up slightly to look at him. The ridge of his nose was outlined in the orange glow of the setting sun, and his left eye, gazing forward, was like Polaris in the dusky sky.

’He’s as confident as ever. It seems there’s no goal he can’t achieve.’

’This feeling is so nice, but it’s a shame we’re about to drift apart.’

’General Mo’s gift, Director Zhao’s support, the chance to enter the Prodigy Project... He’s like the moon on a dark night, watched by so many.’

’If he really passes the Military Department’s test, he’ll spend the next month or so training with them. I might see him one more time during the college entrance exams, but after that, he’ll go to Northwest Martial University. He’ll just keep rising higher and higher, until I can only see him in the news...’

At this thought, Liu Zili slowly lowered her head. Her palm was clammy, and a warm bubble rose inside one of the vials.

"..."

A brief silence fell, filled only by the sound of their breathing, rising and falling like a river’s current, and the soft TAP-TAP-TAP of their footsteps on the cracked, dirty bricks.

Jiang Qiu glanced back at Liu Zili’s flushed cheeks. "What’s wrong?"

"I..." Liu Zili’s eyes darted about like a woodpecker’s beak. Then she lifted her chin, her eyes curving into crescents. Her red lips parted to reveal pearly teeth, and her dimples seemed to capture the sunset. "I want to get into Northwest Martial University, so I can keep learning spear techniques from you."

"Alright," Jiang Qiu felt something stir in his chest, like a lightly plucked string. He chuckled. "You will."

The two parted ways at an intersection, still laughing. Liu Zili trotted off with a light spring in her step, while Jiang Qiu ambled home.

’Today’s Advanced Archery Training added another 50 to my [Iron Flesh] progress. I just need to take a medicinal bath with these six portions of Wusu Fragrance, and it should be enough to break through.’

Jiang Qiu moved a large wooden tub into place. He filled it with basins of hot water from the bathroom, SPLASHING them in. Soon, steam was billowing up from the tub, and he stripped off his clothes.

He dripped the six vials of Wusu Fragrance into the hot water, then climbed into the large wooden tub and submerged himself. A faint, tingling soreness spread over his skin, like ants nibbling at him.

[Low-Quality Body Training x1]

[Low-Quality Body Training x1]

[...]

Not even a single medium-quality training. The [Iron Flesh] progress bar crept upward slowly. The sloshing hot water was just teasing him, making him antsy.

With a thought, the Storage Ring clasped around his left wrist seemed to respond with a hum of static electricity. A silver-white vial popped into his palm with a quiet BUZZ. The liquid inside looked like molten silver.

’Wusu Fragrance is a very basic type of body-tempering Su Fragrance, and it barely affects me anymore. It should be fine to use it together with the Bone Su Fragrance.’

As he murmured, he flicked the cap off with his thumb. POP! As he tilted the vial, the liquid slid out in a silvery line of what looked like molten iron. The instant it hit the water’s surface, the steam exploded into a thick fog. ’This is intense?!’

Jiang Qiu’s heart leaped. He stared, wide-eyed, as the glob of undissolved Bone Su Fragrance essence seared the water. Bubbles swarmed around it, but they couldn’t slow its descent as it sank like a falling star.

He clenched a sweaty fist and shielded his lower body.

DRIP.

The entirety of the molten-silver essence slid down onto his rippling, muscular arms.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...

His heart began to race uncontrollably. Blood surged through his vessels like rivers rushing toward the mountains and seas within his torso. His consciousness shivered, and a chill like an Ice Cone shot down his spine.

In the blink of an eye, the silvery essence that had been on his right arm completely seeped into his skin, like gallium melting into metal.

The fine hairs on his arm continued to sway in the heated water like reeds, completely unaffected.

CRACK... CRACK... CRUNCH—

A sickening sound, like a brick shattering into a spiderweb of cracks, crawled up the bones of his arms. It was like the roar of an avalanche, overwhelming the blood vessels, muscles, and skin in its path.

In an instant, Jiang Qiu’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. Every muscle in his face stretched taut like rubber. His breath caught in his throat. A moment later, the foul air compressed in his chest could only burst from his mouth in a strangled cry. "AGH—"

The thunderous pain receded, and his jaw slammed shut with the force of Taishan Mountain crashing to the ground!

Both of his arm bones had been completely shattered!

Impurities were stripped away by the silvery essence. Like a viscous sludge, it slowly gathered the bone fragments, piecing them together, fusing them, and reforging them!

The intense pain was like the sudden stench of ammonia from a latrine assaulting his nostrils, instantly squeezing out eighteen years’ worth of unshed tears from Jiang Qiu’s eyes.

His face cycled through shades of blue, red, and purple. It felt as if air could only enter his nostrils, not leave!

[High-Quality Body Training x1]

[Iron Flesh]

[1000/1000]

[Body Metamorphosis]

An unknown amount of time passed. The bloodshot veins in Jiang Qiu’s wide-open eyes receded, leaving them looking like protruding black jade. The water in the large wooden tub was cold and filthy, reeking with a stench so sour it made one’s gums ache.

Air flowed evenly through his nostrils, and blood slowly returned to his limbs and entire body.

A finger resting at the bottom of the tub twitched lightly, making a creaking sound like roasting steel beans.

His powerful physique was like a newly quenched iron sword, the sharp angles of his interlocking muscles like the edge of a sharpened blade.

[Steel Bone]

[Features: External Iron Body Training, Inner Steel Bone Training]

[Body Casting Points: 1/4]

Jiang Qiu took a deep breath, his head lolling back as he panted heavily. "There’s supposed to be a transition period between the Iron Flesh Realm and the Steel Bone Realm. I skipped it and jumped straight over with the Bone Su Fragrance... I almost didn’t make it..."

After a long while, the corners of his mouth finally curled into a slight smile. The reflection of a status panel appeared in his eyes.

[Steel Arm]

[Features: Blood Qi Condensation, Arms Like Fine Steel]

This was the Metamorphosis Attribute he gained from the Bone Su Fragrance. By consuming Qi Blood, he could temporarily reinforce his arms, making them as hard as steel, impervious to blades, and doubling his strength.

This was also the first Body Casting Point he had gained in the Steel Bone Realm.

According to what was taught in his general studies class, the Steel Bone Realm was divided into three stages: the Limb Stage for the arms and feet, the Torso Stage for the ribs and vertebrae, and the Cranial Stage for the skull.

The common order for Body Casting in the Steel Bone Realm was arms, feet, torso, and head, which corresponded to the four Body Casting Points.

’Steel Bone Realm. I’ve reached the Steel Bone Realm before even getting into the Prodigy Project. I must be the first in the history of Eighth Middle School to do that, right?’

Jiang Qiu slowly closed his eyes, reviewing publicly released information from past college entrance exams. ’The Prodigy Project has over a hundred geniuses, and they take almost all of the top one hundred spots in Gao Yuan City, yet less than half of them are in the Steel Bone Realm...’

After his medicinal bath, Jiang Qiu showered to wash away the filth, then cleaned the large wooden tub one more time before collapsing onto his bed like a steel rod wrapped in a sponge.

「The next day.」

As usual, he went to the school cafeteria for breakfast. He ran into Liu Zili, and they went to the Archery Range together.

He drew the bowstring. The [Black Flood Dragon] consumed a small mouthful of his Qi Blood. With a sharp TWANG, he released the string, and the Post Arrow shot through the air.

BANG!

The Post Arrow solidly struck the small, spinning white dot two hundred meters away. Liu Zili, watching from the side with her long spear in her arms, blinked and raised a slender eyebrow. "That sounded louder than before..."

SWISH—BANG!

SWISH—BANG!

SWISH...

Liu Zili silently counted in her head, her eyes gradually widening. "1... 27... 35... 88... 102?!"

’Don’t they say the Qi Blood Bow consumes a ton of Qi Blood? That a genius in the Iron Flesh Realm can shoot fifty times at most before running out?’

’And after drawing the bow with such high intensity, you’re supposed to rest for a whole day to avoid straining your arms!’

’How is Jiang Qiu shooting so fast and so many times in one go today...?’

"Hoo~" Jiang Qiu let out a breath. "My Qi Blood capacity has doubled. By reinforcing my hands with [Steel Arm], I can fire about a hundred shots in quick succession. Looks like it’ll still take half a day to recover, though." He kneaded his sore right arm and turned to the girl, whose lips were parted in a stunned smile. "Archery practice is over for today. Let’s work on your Spear Sense."

"Ah? Oh, okay, okay!"

Liu Zili froze for a second. She took half a step, then her eyes lit up. She turned back, grabbed the Double Arc Blade long spear from the wooden rack, and trotted over, her dimples deepening into a faint smile.

’Ehehe, the less time Jiang Qiu spends on archery, the more time I get to practice spear with him...’

Two days passed in a flash. He spent them in high-intensity Qi Blood consumption, averaging over two hundred rounds of Advanced Archery Training per day.

[Ancient Martial Arrow (Proficient)]

[Features: Enduring Qi Blood, Long-range Sniper Kill]

[0/1000]

His calm, monotonous shooting had become a routine, and it came with another Metamorphosis Attribute.

[Aim]

[Features: Where the Eye Aims, the Arrow Flies]

Activating [Aim] required immense concentration of his Mental Power and was extremely fatiguing, but it allowed him to hit the small white dot even when it moved at high speeds.

The first time she witnessed it, Liu Zili exclaimed, "Your Talent for the Archery Dao seems to be just as high as for the Spear Dao! You can predict the little white dot’s position even when it’s spinning fast enough to leave afterimages?!"

Jiang Qiu just smiled. "Actually, it’s not prediction..."

Time passed just like that. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, the steel gate of the Archery Range was suddenly yanked open with a loud CLANG. Jiang Qiu and Liu Zili instinctively looked over, their eyes falling on a middle-aged man with a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek.